The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[HighStreetCoop]

I let the Silver Partridge project kids out in the barn to play last night and thought I would share some new pics.

WOW! I want one of these, too!!!

 

[megalomaniac]

wow, you really can see the difference between the two when side by side. Both are very pretty!

 

[megalomaniac]

I was wondering if my American lo would loose value if I bred them with an English lo or if they would retain value? My ALOs are pretty big with hens around 8# and I heard that the english are a little bigger.

As previously said, you want to breed your American LOs to a large, typey English black. All the offspring will be black carrying the lavender gene, but be improved over your current birds in type and size. Then breed those offspring together and keep the 25% lavender offspring and cull the remainders. OR you can breed the F1 carriers back to your lavenders and get 50% black carriers and 50% lavender, but probably not quite as good type in the F2 cross as the above.

The lavender gene is also associated with a feathering defect which often makes the birds look quite dishelved, as I'm sure you've noticed in your birds (especially obvious in the tail). Frequent outcrossing back to black seems to improve that a bit as well, and is the other reason to outcross birds to black.

Whether the outcross with help or hurt the value of your birds is strictly determined by the quality of the birds you use to cross with. If you use junk for the outcross, it will harm your flock. If you use the best outcross stock, it will help the value of your flock.

Best piece of advice I can give... spend 3-5x as much for excellent stock to start with. Saving a few bucks will end up costing you in the long run, since you'll have to cull 10x as much. If you are planning on showing anything in the future, you may very well NEVER end up with birds nice enough to compete with if you skimp initially.

 

[rockinpaints]

My understanding was coloring.

Deleted post:
Sorry, I didn't see you had answered his question

. Way better than I did

 

[rockinpaints]

I was wondering if my American lo would loose value if I bred them with an English lo or if they would retain value? My ALOs are pretty big with hens around 8# and I heard that the english are a little bigger.

I don't think it will reduce the value of the American Orps and I think it will help the English Orps as far as egg production. English Orps are beautiful but not the greatest layers and essentially very finicky layers, you wouldn't want to disturb them after they've gone into lay or they are likely to take a sabbatical for a month or so

. However crossed to their better egg producing American cousins I think would help increase egg production of the English Orps. (if you care how well they produce and not just about their beauty

). We are working on a hy-bred Black English Orp for egg production......... We'll see in the coming years how that works. We would like to keep the big fluffy birds but encourage better egg production. And the American Buff Orpington makes the list of one of the top egg producing chickens.

 

[rockinpaints]

WOW! I want one of these, too!!!

Thank you, the Partridge pattern is my favorite variety of the English Orp colors

(Blue Partridge, Gold Partridge and now the Silver)

 

[Mahen100]

...

Is the second pic an isabel partridge? That should be interesting for those that like lavender ground colored birds. //snip// These are a few of the different shades in the Silver Partridge as well as the Blue in the top picture.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- wow! Rockingpaints! your Silver Partridges are beautiful.

 

[corancher]

I don't think it will reduce the value of the American Orps and I think it will help the English Orps as far as egg production. English Orps are beautiful but not the greatest layers and essentially very finicky layers, you wouldn't want to disturb them after they've gone into lay or they are likely to take a sabbatical for a month or so

. However crossed to their better egg producing American cousins I think would help increase egg production of the English Orps. (if you care how well they produce and not just about their beauty

). We are working on a hy-bred Black English Orp for egg production......... We'll see in the coming years how that works. We would like to keep the big fluffy birds but encourage better egg production. And the American Buff Orpington makes the list of one of the top egg producing chickens.

I am so glad to see others have the same opinion of the English Orps egg laying. I don't know how they do it but you are right they can be laying one moment and in a flash nothing. My Golden Laced are the worst of the bunch on laying then the Chocolates are a broody bunch. I have had one of the Chocolate go broody after only laying for about a week.

I have been crossing my English BBS to my American BBS to increase laying and some heartiness. It certainly has helped. I have Lavenders set up with English Black currently for the same reason.

I love the look of the English without a doubt, however since I have had the American cousins for many years in my opinion the American are much better suited for a farm/ranch that is wanting pretty, hearty, good egg laying birds.

Orpingtons either English or American just have great dispositions that I can't imagine not having them.

If you want eye candy, then the English Orpingtons win hands down. All the lovely new colors also has brought all kinds of possibilities. In a few years I don't think we will have much of a American to English Orpington comparison but more of a good quality to hatchery quality. Once again just my opinion.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Quote:
I'm going to end up being a "box of chocolate" orp collector (one of these, one of those, one of those other ones).

 

[rockinpaints]

I am so glad to see others have the same opinion of the English Orps egg laying. I don't know how they do it but you are right they can be laying one moment and in a flash nothing. My Golden Laced are the worst of the bunch on laying then the Chocolates are a broody bunch. I have had one of the Chocolate go broody after only laying for about a week.

I have been crossing my English BBS to my American BBS to increase laying and some heartiness. It certainly has helped. I have Lavenders set up with English Black currently for the same reason.

I love the look of the English without a doubt, however since I have had the American cousins for many years in my opinion the American are much better suited for a farm/ranch that is wanting pretty, hearty, good egg laying birds.

Orpingtons either English or American just have great dispositions that I can't imagine not having them.

If you want eye candy, then the English Orpingtons win hands down. All the lovely new colors also has brought all kinds of possibilities. In a few years I don't think we will have much of a American to English Orpington comparison but more of a good quality to hatchery quality. Once again just my opinion.

Hi Anna!

Nice to see you.

I am careful about moving them from their winter pen to their summer pen if they are in full lay. And I always set my NPIP tests for January so as not to disturb any primadonnas that might be laying. And I have had a pullet lay one egg and go broody......... whaaaaat?

That's when I get out the KFC box and put it in the middle of their floor

as a little encouragement.